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BLCA c42s01
Text By morning, Enstasis was still smoldering, smoke rising up from the damaged, half-ruined castle. Repairs had yet to begin... repairs could wait until later, as they took care of the wounded and tended first to their dead. Coffins were being laid out in the former battlefield, of all shape and size: many soldiers had died, and Luna had decided to respect the wishes they had in life or their kin had for their remains. Many of them were to be sent out across Equestria to be buried in their hometowns. Luna would not deny them that wish, after they had died defending her family and her home. Many of the others were to be burned, and only a few buried... understandably, many ponies were afraid of their corpses being shortly dug up and put back to work if they weren't cremated. But Luna wouldn't do, at least not for decades: these dead had earned their rest, their sleep. It hurt worse to see small coffins amidst the large ones: the coffins of foals, killed in the attack, and among them one of Fluttershy's newborns. The Pegasus was devastated... and she herself had been wounded, one of her wings almost completely torn off as they'd scrambled to find safety and the roof had caved in on her and Virtue. Nirvana had wanted to stay and help her: Fluttershy had shouted at him to take Temperance and Tender Trust and run. She had been dug out of the rubble by the Greater Nightmares, but while her body would heal, the trauma of losing one of her children would take her much longer to recover from. She could barely believe that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were responsible... she didn't want to believe that it had been from Ponyville that the awful attack had originated. And Luna had found Pinkamena not long after she had left the courtyard, the dull-pink mare so panicked, so emotional, so upset that she hadn't realized her true demon's shape was showing. The reason became apparent quickly, as she'd dragged her through damaged and wrecked Enstasis to where Pinkie Pie had been laying with her back and one of her front legs broken, a strange look of serenity on her face even as her life slowly ebbed out of her from the cracked skull and internal injuries she had suffered, and Pinkamena could only plead desperately: "Fix her! Save her! Help her! I'll do anything, you know I'll do anything, just save her... don't make me go through this again! I can't go through this again!" Luna had Pinkie transported gently to the catacombs beneath Enstasis to be kept alive and safe until she and Scrivener and Celestia were strong enough to help, saying quietly: "I shall give thee no surprises and no lies, Pinkamena, I have not the mood nor strength to be coy tonight. The others will keep her stable for now, and then we shall make her Moon Blessed. Unless thou would prefer us infuse her with a demon, and no, I am being neither cruel nor sarcastic. These are the options... there are others, but... thou would like them even less." "Don't... give her a horn." Pinkamena said finally, looking down silently, and Luna had looked at her curiously before the demon had looked up, smiling weakly. "And don't make her one of your toys. Please. For me." Luna had been silent... then closed her eyes and nodded slowly, saying softly: "All the same, she will need to be tied to another living being, the ritual requires it. She is thy twin; I shall connect her to thee. Acceptable?" "Thank you." Pinkamena had whispered humbly, dropping to her stomach and bowing her head forwards, and Luna had silently kissed the demon's forehead in response and promise. Then she had continued onwards... finding more of the dead, the injured, the broken in the damaged and wounded halls of Enstasis, tending to them as best she could as she felt Scrivener Blooms carefully transporting Scarlet Sage to their room. The Moon Blessed had all been badly-injured, but none would die. Ross was the worst off: one of his forelegs had been shattered and dangling uselessly from his body, broken horribly, and they'd had no choice but to amputate it. Cowlick needed her horn replaced, but in spite of the pain and the blood, she had already gone to work planning and designing an artificial limb for Ross as she laid beside him in bed in the infirmary, the stallion trembling a bit as he stayed curled tightly up against her side. Flint and Autumn had been burnt by dragon fire, and Fleur had a broken wing and fractured ribs. Not to mention the bruises, lacerations and other injuries, but... almost everypony had those. Other concubines and concubinus had been killed, old and young had been killed, demons and Nightmares and Greater Nightmares and Phooka and everything else had been killed. Applejack's self-destructive attack had a far greater toll for her own army, and yet for once that didn't help... after all, they could have just as easily been Luna's subjects as Luna's enemies, but for the way all of Ponyville had turned against her... but for what Kvasir and Applejack had done. Luna couldn't help but grin bitterly: Kvasir, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Sleipnir... they were all in the dungeons now. Kvasir in a magic-proof cell designed for holding demons, but it would work well enough to keep a badly-wounded god in place... and Applejack and Rainbow Dash in cells across the corridor from one-another, chained and shackled to the walls so they could keep each other company. Sleipnir, meanwhile, was sitting in the furthest corner of the dungeon, inside a little, dingy cell that wasn't even closed, staring miserably and silently at the floor... or at least, that's what Celestia had told her, after the ivory equine had tended to their brother's injuries. Luna still didn't have the strength to go and see for herself. But it was either a gift or a curse that all of them had survived. Applejack and Rainbow Dash in particular Luna wanted to make suffer... all the more now after what they had done to Scarlet Sage, not just their home, not just the innocents of Enstasis. They called her a monster, said she was evil? She and Scrivener would be glad to accommodate them, then, and show them what true evil, true monstrosity was... Among the other prisoners in the dungeon was Big Mac, beaten and injured, and a smattering of other ponies and a few Nibelung. Luna wasn't sure what she wanted to do with them... especially Big Mac. After the war machine they called a 'zeppelin' had been destroyed, however, many of the survivors had turned and fled... and those who had been stupid enough to run into the woods had been killed by the furious living forest, while those that had run down the road had been hunted when Hellhounds had been released from their kennels: and even with their head start, the ragtag survivors didn't get very far. Only twenty or so made it safely back to Ponyville and its piddling population of ponies that hadn't gone out to war. Luna sighed quietly as she finally pushed through the doors into her quarters: she had spent most of the night pacing, walking around, taking time to think. Scrivener had been kind enough to let her, staying back with Scarlet Sage and tending to their daughter, keeping her alive, giving up his own strength, his own blood, his own breath to help her. But as she looked up, Scrivener carefully slipped out of the bedroom door, closing it quietly behind himself before he smiled tiredly at her. He was pale, still covered in blood, their worse injuries reflecting one-another's. His wings were gone, scales and coat were back to normal, but one of his eyes had turned completely sapphire, while the other retained its old chestnut iris. "Hey." "Hey." Luna echoed softly in reply, and she smiled faintly as he walked towards her before they nuzzled quietly, then hugged each other fiercely as her starry mane rippled backwards, then swirled forwards and half-wrapped around him as she buried her face against the side of his neck, whispering: "Oh Scrivy..." "It's... it's going to be okay. Scarlet Sage just needs sleep now... she's alive. We saved her." Scrivener said empathetically, then he kissed her forehead softly before he grimaced a little, shaking his head slowly as he murmured: "I think we'll both return more to normal... once we get some rest." Luna nodded against his neck, keeping herself close and tightly as his claws soothingly rubbed along her back, before he asked gently: "Do you want to see her?" "Nay, Scrivy. I... I do, but I do not wish to disturb her. And I feel... I feel like such a failure..." Luna clenched her eyes shut, trembling against him as she whispered: "They killed her. They killed so many here. I can understand them trying to kill us but... Enstasis, our home, our citizens, our... our world. They would have brought it all down, had they the chance... and had they more than one of those awful, terrible machines..." "We should have brought it down differently, even if the demonstration of power did serve its purpose and sent most of them running. But it was stupid and I'm sorry that I didn't do a better job." Scrivener replied quietly, and Luna looked up at him with a smile both faint and pleading, making him laugh a little. "I... alright. I'll try not to blame myself. But... we've... we've been too lenient with them, Luna. Too kind... when we show them mercy, they call it bribes and manipulations and weakness, and attack us like rabid dogs. When we punish them for their wrongdoing or restrict them for their own good, they call us tyrants, but at least they recognize our strength." The winged unicorn nodded slowly, looking up at Scrivener as he looked back at her, cyan eyes meeting mismatched iris and sapphire glow as Scrivener said quietly: "I would rather be a strong king who takes care of his people, who is feared and respected by his people, then a weak king whom his people rebel against and walk all over. Let them fear us. Let them hate us even. But let them know most of all to not attack us... and in time, they will understand how fortunate they are." "Yes... I agree. But we must continue to reward our loyal subjects... especially now." Luna responded softly, resting her head quietly against him, and Scrivener nodded as he reached up and stroked silently through her ephemeral mane. "I bow gladly to thy will, though, my beloved husband, and there is much wisdom in thy words. There is always much wisdom in thee... and so much power, so much strength. I am so glad for thee... I love thee, so deeply, so dearly..." "I love you too, Luna. I love you, more than anything else in this world." Scrivener said quietly, reaching up and resting his claws on her shoulders, and then they two traded a slow, soft kiss for a few moments before pulling apart and studying one another silent. Finally, Scrivy carefully brushed back her starry locks, then asked curiously: "Where are Celestia and Twilight Shadow?" "Celestia wished for... privacy after taking care of some matters. She was horrified and upset with what happened... she also may go to speak to Sleipnir." Luna trembled for a moment, glancing down, then she shook her head quickly and returned her eyes upwards, trading thoughts and emotions and images with Scrivener even as she added quietly: "Twilight Shadow is aiding with overseeing both repairs and cleanup operations. She is industrious... but I know that much of it is because it helps her cope with what has happened. We should call her. Bring her to us. Comfort her. I love her almost as dearly as thee, after all." "Me too." Scrivener smiled a bit, gently stroking a claw along Luna's melded collar to the engraved black pearl, and she closed her eyes and tilted her head back before he corrected softly: "Well, no. I love her more than I love myself. But not as much as I love you." Luna smiled despite herself, and then she turned, moving in natural synchronicity with Scrivener as they headed out through the open doors and into the halls of Enstasis, not even knowing where they were going as Scrivy asked finally: "What will we do with Kvasir?" "Ultimately, his end will not be... pleasant." Luna said distastefully, looking disgusted as she shook her head slowly before she smiled slightly as she glanced towards Scrivener Blooms. "Perhaps we shall feed him to thee. 'Twould be fitting, would it not?" "Is it cannibalism for one god to consume another?" Scrivener asked curiously, and Luna smiled wider at this, before Scrivy looked ahead and said softly: "And I see so clearly in your mind... what you think we should do with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. That you plan to let me have the honor of punishing them... and I appreciate that, I do. I promise to keep them alive as long as possible... but eager as I am myself for revenge, I know we have other things to attend to before that pleasure." "Yes. 'Twould not be right to go about that yet... first we must attend to the dead, the wounded, and our devastated home." Luna agreed quietly, nodding slowly. "We must also send soldiers to Ponyville... to safeguard the citizenry who were not goaded into this battle, and to ensure there is no second uprising, no second gathering. And I wish to dismantle the military presence there, simply put... I wish to return Ponyville towards the pretty, prosperous and welcoming village it once was, our... ardent sanctuary. That is not cruel, that is not asking much, is it?" "Not at all." Scrivener Blooms nodded slowly, and then he and Luna both paused and frowned a bit, looking up as an echo whispered through their minds: a message from Twilight. "Did you..." "Aye. Let us meet her in the courtyard." Luna hurried onwards, and Scrivener grunted as he followed quickly after her, the two making their way quickly through the damaged castle as they caught flickers of Twilight's apprehensive thoughts and felt a roil of emotions as they understood why she was calling to them. They emerged through the battered-open doors to find Twilight Shadow sitting quietly with a forelimb around Apple Bloom, the young female trembling and breathing hard, tears in her eyes and pale from the sight of the battlefield, the state of the castle, the funerary pyres. She looked up at them, half-scared for them and half-scared of the King and Queen before Luna embraced the youth fiercely and Scrivener silently stroked a hand through her mane and rested it on her shoulder, saying softly: "You made a dangerous journey, Apple Bloom. You could have been mistaken for an enemy and hurt." "That's why I stuck to the woods. Just like Sleipnir always told me to in case... in case..." Apple Bloom swallowed thickly, looking up at them worriedly as she whispered: "Is... Sleipnir, Big Mac, big sister, Rainbow... and... and Scarlet Sage. Twilight won't tell me what happened to Scarlet Sage, what... what happened to her? I felt... I felt this... this pain..." Apple Bloom silently reached up, touching her chest, and Scrivener and Luna traded a look before the orange eyes of the child widened and she whispered: "No... n-no, no, no, oh no... I... please, don't tell me that..." "We'll take you to her. She's... recovering from..." Scrivener fell silent, then he shook his head slowly and met Apple Bloom's eyes silently. "Do you want to know what happened to the others?" Apple Bloom opened her mouth, trembling a bit, then she asked after a moment in a whisper: "Are they alive?" Scrivener nodded slowly as Luna gazed down silently at the girl, and then Apple Bloom closed her eyes and murmured: "Then... then I don't right now. L-Later, I know I will, but right now I... I just want... Scarlet Sage..." "Okay. Twilight Shadow, you need to rest too, your stitches are all coming loose and you look... well... pretty torn up." Scrivener smiled a bit as he raised his eyes to the Lich, who nodded awkwardly after a moment, then smiled faintly when the starry-maned mare slipped forwards and nuzzled her comfortingly. "Go and wait for us in the concubines' hall after thou art done here. 'Tis the only place on the higher floors that is relatively undamaged still." Luna said quietly, and Twilight nodded slowly before she traded a short kiss with the fellow winged unicorn, then turned to Scrivener, and he leaned forwards to share the same gentle affection with the Lich. "I'll... be waiting." Twilight said softly, and the two nodded, turning and leaving with a trembling Apple Bloom to head back into Enstasis, and the violet mare closed her eyes as she whispered: "I'm so sorry I couldn't do more..." Apple Bloom was silent during the trip through the ruined castle, but as they walked through broken corridors, past Nibelung and ponies – many of these injured – who were trying to clean up the wreckage, and servants of the night that were rushing back and forth, it seemed to sink in how much damage had been done... how many people had been hurt. The girl trembled a little at this knowledge as they made their way quietly up to their quarters, before Luna and Scrivener halted outside the door to their bedroom. Apple Bloom looked worriedly from one to the other, and Luna smiled faintly, saying quietly: "I have failed my daughter. I cannot see her, not yet, not until I have figured out... what to say to her. She.. she rests, and is tired, but it will do her more good to see thy face than anything else in the world, I believe this firmly. Even if she does not awaken, just thy presence, thy touch..." She closed her eyes, and Scrivener Blooms reached out, resting a claw on Apple Bloom's shoulder and squeezing it slowly as he said softly: "Don't be afraid. Go ahead, Apple Bloom... and... thank you." The girl was only able to nod mutely as she faced the door, then slowly pushed it open and strode inside, quietly shutting it behind herself and gazing silently towards the dusty bed. A small figure was curled up on the pillows, and Apple Bloom quietly walked forwards, trembling a little before she carefully leaned up and whispered: "Scarlet Sage? I... can you hear me? It's me... it's Apple Bloom." Silence... no, not quite silence. Scarlet was breathing at least, slowly, weakly, but she was alive, and that alone made the girl's heart leap before she hesitated, then finally pulled herself forwards onto the large furnishing. She sat at the edge of the bed, trembling for a moment, brushing a hoof at the blanket... and then finally she reached forwards and gently touched Scarlet's shoulder as she looked at the spill of crimson mane that still faintly smelled of ash, that had been singed shorter, darker... Scarlet Sage shivered at the touch, half-rolling towards her... and Apple Bloom's eyes widened at the sight of her pallid, seared features as Scarlet's crimson eyes opened and stared at her with shock before she covered her face and rolled hurriedly over, whimpering and crying out: "Don't look at me!" "S-Scarlet... oh, Scarlet, no, no..." Apple Bloom silently dropped down beside her, then she wrapped her forelimbs around her neck and hugged her tightly, not knowing what else to do... and Scarlet trembled, sobbing once before she rolled over and buried her head against Apple Bloom's chest, curling up against her tightly, clutching at her with raw, badly-burnt forelimbs and ignoring the agony in her body for the comfort of having this pony she loved so dearly here with her... After a while, Scarlet calmed down, and Apple Bloom silently slipped beneath the covers so she could better curl up with the young mare. They rested together silently, and Scarlet's mangled wings twitched weakly as she kept her head low and eyes down, whispering in a weak voice: "I'm sorry..." "Don't you apologize, you got nothing to be sorry for, I... I just want to help you get better. I love you, Scarlet Sage. I'm here for you. I'm not gonna abandon you, I... I was so scared when I thought... something had happened, something worse than this, that... that I... when all the soldiers got back and left the gates open, I just ran for it. I had to see you. I had to know..." Apple Bloom trembled a bit, looking down at the filly silently. "I ain't gonna abandon you. No matter what happens." Scarlet Sage looked silently up at her, and Apple Bloom gazed back before hugging her fiercely, tightly, the two curling close together in silence and comfort. It wasn't long before both youths were asleep, clutching one another tight, keeping each other close, and Scrivener Blooms checked on them quietly some ten minutes later before he smiled a little, then turned his eyes to Luna and nodded to her. They left after instructing a Greater Nightmare to keep an eye on the door, and the two made their way silently out into the corridor, sharing thoughts and emotions and memories between them before Scrivener finally asked: "Do you think she'll heal?" "For the most part. Her wings, though..." Luna closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly as she murmured: "My poor, sweet child. She was already flying, too, and doing so well, so strong, so... confident... perhaps we shall slice off Rainbow Dash's and give his wings to her." She gritted her teeth, looking bitterly at the floor, but when Scrivener gave her a soft look, she sighed and nodded, muttering: "Aye. For now, we shall resist the urge to... punish them. We must focus on helping the living, attending to the dead, and everything else that is required. That includes Scarlet Sage... but it will not be an easy recovery for her. Especially not once she understands that... she died, and was brought back. Once she understands that there will be changes in her, even though she lives, is alive, she is also... different now." Scrivener nodded slowly, and then he closed his eyes, but Luna only smiled faintly at him. "No, never think such things, my darling, my beloved. Thou did all thou could. Thou gave up much of thy strength, our strength, to save her. And I can only respect, admire, and love thee for it... besides. We have... a special resource in Kvasir as well. Scarlet Sage is a Blood Seer... the god's potent blood will strengthen her. Will strengthen us as well, aye, but first he shall make up for his misdeeds by helping us heal our poor daughter." "I agree." Scrivener nodded again, grimacing a little as he shook his head and opened his mismatched eyes, looking moody before they pushed through the swinging doors into the concubine's hall, stepping onto the plush, comfortable rug and both smiling faintly at the welcome sight of Twilight Shadow resting on a large, soft cushion. She smiled awkwardly back at them: the rest of the hall, its soft cushions, lush bedding, and various pillows and blankets, was all in disarray, but thanks in part to the heavy pillars that lined the room, it was in much better condition than most of Enstasis. Twilight finished a last stitch as the two approached where she rested on the enormous cushion like it was a neat little island of order amidst the sea of chaos the rest of the room was in, then the Lich bit through the black string with her teeth, horn glowing and holding it up in place for a moment before quickly knotting and tightening it down, saying quietly: "Good to see you two." With a tilt of her horn, the needle floated to a small black satchel she kept, full of different-sized sewing needles, spools of thread, and other odds and ends. She absently rolled her head as the pony and poet settled to either side of her, dropping their heads onto either shoulder, and the violet mare smiled a little as she murmured: "You two are so... perfect together." "Shut up, Twilight Shadow." Luna mumbled, and Twilight laughed a little as her wings fluttered a bit, and then she reached her forelegs up and wrapped them around the two, closing her eyes and bowing her head silently against Luna's as the mare's starry mane twisted quietly upwards, tickling against the Lich and her husband. "How art thou feeling?" "I guess... I'm still a little shell-shocked after everything that happened. Weird for me to be saying that, but..." Twilight shook her head slowly, closing her eyes with a soft sigh. "But it's true. I thought... people dying stopped bothering me. And killing... I understand sometimes you don't have a choice. But what Applejack and Rainbow Dash did, the massacre that followed, and... how she... she gloated about Scarlet Sage..." Luna swallowed thickly, nodding slowly as Scrivener sighed softly, murmuring: "We stopped her though... we took down that war machine, and you and Celestia knocked them out and captured them. We're both still grateful that you didn't kill them." "I... I wanted to." Twilight whispered, looking down and gritting her sharp teeth as her stitches over her features flexed. "I really, really wanted to. If anything showed that... we aren't friends anymore, that she's betrayed everything we all ever used to believe in... it was that. It was what she did, murdering an innocent filly because she was supposed to be evil. Just like she would have killed me, or you, or Luna. It... it was disgusting. I never, ever would have thought AJ would have been capable of that. Would have stooped so low..." "The pressure and the war... I only hope that... Apple Bloom will not hold what we must do against us. I do not wish to poison the relationship she has with my daughter." Luna said quietly, and Twilight nodded slowly before Luna laid down beside her, and Twilight smiled a bit, turning to curl herself down against the dark-coated mare before she felt a strange contentment as she felt Scrivener Blooms snuggle himself half-over, half-against her, his weight comforting as his head laid across the back of her neck. "Poor Apple Bloom... her family lost, imprisoned, and destroyed, and yet her heart belongs to our daughter. It is a sad story... beautiful and touching, but sad." Scrivener grunted in quiet agreement, and then he looked meditatively at Luna before he said finally: "Not all her family, at least. We may be able to work something out with Big Mac... he's always been reasonable. He's a good pony, and I have no urge to torture him further than he must already be suffering over what's happened." Twilight nodded slowly at this, adding after a moment: "I agree. We should... we should help him if we can. He's always been such a good pony, a strong pony... he'd do good here. He'd make a strong leader." Luna looked thoughtful, gazing down and murmuring: "Well... I suppose this is true, aye. And I cannot bear to go against one of thee, much less both of thee, and 'tis not as if I hold any serious grudge myself against Big Macintosh for what has happened. He cannot be held accountable for the actions of his younger sibling, and he did ask us to give Apple Bloom sanctuary should things grow out of hand... so aye. Very well. We shall speak to him about this." Twilight Shadow nodded quietly again, then she hesitated before asking softly: "I know that you two have already done everything you could, but... Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie..." "They will recover. They will both recover, do not fear." Luna soothed gently, smiling a little as Twilight blushed a bit. "Worry not, I do not blame thee for thy concern, and it is good to see... that thou art still who thou hast always been at heart: caring so much for thy friends, showing them such love and compassion. Never be embarrassed or ashamed of that. "By tomorrow, we will begin a modified ritual with Pinkie Pie. We shall pact her to Pinkamena in a more-direct way than the twins are already linked. And Fluttershy we shall attend to the every need of, although I think all we can truly do is allow her to... to recover on her own. She lost one of her babies... I cannot imagine the suffering she must be enduring, even with the relief of having saved two of the children." Luna shook her head slowly, then she nodded once and added quietly: "But we must also recover. 'Twill be useless for us to run out and try to help all these ponies if we ourselves are in no fit state to do anything but... worsen the situation. And we must rejoice in the fact that we have survived, that Enstasis still stands, and take care of business here. We shall not let sorrow overwhelm us. Not when there is work to be done, not when the moon and stars still shine so bright in the comforting darkness." The Lich smiled a bit at this, and Scrivener rumbled softly in agreement as he leaned past the violet mare to kiss his wife's cheek gently, Luna giving a small smile as she settled silently, comforted and strengthened by the tender presence of her husband and her trusted, beloved friend. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story